Tagged: movie review

Month of Love Day 7: A Night (in) at the Movies!

A genre of movie that strikes fear into some; the rom-com. But you don’t have to be afraid. There are many, many great movies that are branded with this dreaded title, but are still great, potentially classic films that are lovely to just spend the night in, together, watching on the sofa with a bottle of wine and crappy sweets.

I’ve got three favourites, also loved by Mrs B. We take every opportunity to watch these when we can. Great funny comedies with nice warm loving endings. If you’ve seen them before, watch them again, if you’ve never seen them, get them on! Have a nice cosy night in, look forward to the weekend and enjoy.

photo loveactually-poster_zpsa573f07f.jpgLove Actually is a film surely everybody knows. I know it is generally seen as a Christmas movie, but deep down it’s a thoroughly enjoyable heartwarming comedy with up to a dozen different love stories brought together in a way only Richard Curtis can write. A personal favourite for Mrs B, it has a couple of my favourite ‘nice’ scenes in any movie ever. Just to watch Bill Nighy sing, Hugh Grant dance and Andrew Lincoln steal a scene without talking, you can’t help but watch with a smile and a tear in your eye. It’s currently on sale at Amazon for a whole £3.35. Bargain!

photo gd4_zpsa42595e8.jpgBill Murray. Not really a man who you would associate with a rom-com, but he’s been in his fair share of them. Some good, others not so. Groundhog Day though is one of his best movies. One of the most quotable of all his movies, ridiculous and funny in it’s story of a man reliving his worst ever day until he ‘gets it right’. Herein lies the love story as he has to win round Andie MacDowell and convince her he is not egotistical and without feeling. I love this movie and you really are left feeling for good old Bill come the end as he tries again and again getting things just right. I also guarantee you’ll be quoting it for days. If you know anybody called Phil then your life will never quite be the same again. £3.90 from Amazon.

photo when-harry-met-sally-original_zps1841ecb7.jpgLastly, a movie that is in my own personal top 5 movies list. I don’t think I love any movie more than When Harry Met Sally. There are better movies, but nothing that leaves me with such a lovely satisfying feeling at the end. Typical 80s stuff, Billy Crystal and a staple of rom-coms in Meg Ryan, meet at the beginning of the movie and we are then lead down a  ten year road of their friendship and relationship. Interspersed in the timeline are little snaps of ‘real’ American old couples talking about how they fell in love and what they mean to each other. That is what makes it that much better for me. There is a sense of reality to this and you watch these people, hoping that is how you will be in your 60s, 70s or 80s.

Some fabulous nice little scenes between Harry and Sally, with a great Harry Connick Jr. soundtrack I defy anybody not to laugh or at least smile when watching this. Mrs B and I have been quoting this movie forever, I fell in love with it when I first saw it over 20 years ago as a young romantic. Get it from Amazon again for £5.93.

These are obviously just my choices, but we all have rom-coms that we love and our favourite movies to spend a night in together and watch. If you think I’ve missed any, let me know and I’ll see if I can watch them too. I may have missed a cracker! But don’t ask me to watch Dirty Dancing or Pretty Woman. I don’t like rom-coms THAT much.

The Amazing Spider-Man Preview Review

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending a preview screening of the new reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man. I was incredibly lucky to be at this preview, thanks to the lovely people at Sky, with there only being a couple of these UK premiere-simulcast screenings in the country so far ahead of the release of the movie and I was not disappointed in the evening.

No spoilers are contained within this review, I hate them just as much as everybody else!

I was never a fan of the Sam Raimi / Tobey Maguire films, nor was I really into Spider-Man as a superhero. I’ve always been into the darker, more egocentric superheroes such as Batman, Iron Man and into the realms of 2000AD and Judge Dredd. The other Spider-Man movies didn’t spark my interest and lacked something gritty. I always thought they were weak and Peter Parker, albeit never being portrayed as a big strong charismatic person, was far too wet and weedy.

I was looking forward to this new version of the hero story, the trailers had looked exciting and a bit darker, the cast excited me and the story appeared to stick more to the source material origin story ( a big plus when it comes to adaptations).

Short review – its fantastic, a very good superhero movie. It is not a movie just for teenage girls in their twilight honeymoon!

Longer review – the story is very good, the character progression is quick but not rushed, the relationships grow quickly but are meaningful and strong, and you reach the main storyline having felt part of it and aware of how it is growing all the time. Peter is a stronger personality but still uncomfortable and nervous in some of his surroundings, but not in a cringeworthy way. Andrew Garfield is very good, has the look and voice to match Peter in my eyes, reminds me very much of the quick-witted young man in the cartoon series, I am going to go back and watch his previous stuff!

The growth of Peter into Spidey is what makes this a good film, you are there as he develops his powers and it is shot in such a way that you feel like you are in the red and blue suit yourself. The 3D works incredibly well, it doesn’t feel tacked on, almost as if it was always planned this way. Some very good performances from strong actors such as Martin Sheen and Sally Fields as Peter’s Aunt and Uncle, which if you know the stories are important people in his life and help mould him into the web slinging crimefighter.

It won’t win any of the major awards, and its not up there with the likes of Iron Man or the new Batman series, but Spidey does a good job of being enjoyable even if you aren’t a comic book fan. Fast paced at times, full of action and some good fight scenes make this a movie I will happily see again and again.

I thoroughly recommend you to go and watch this film, if you loved or hated, or didn’t see, the other Spider-Man movies, you should enjoy this one regardless. I will probably even go back again and see it once it has been out for a few weeks! I took my comic book fan and cartoonist friend Scott with me,  and he agreed that the film was worthy of the Marvel world and a good adaptation of the Spider-Man origin story and comics. Well done Marvel, you have given me a new superhero to be a fan of.